Of the >50,000 caves reported in the United States, over 1,138 cave-restricted animals have been described. These troglobionts (terrestrial obligate cave species) and stygobionts (aquatic obligate cave species) possess traits uniquely associated with life in perpetual darkness and limited food resources. One of the richest karst areas in the United States is in TAG (Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia), with Tennessee currently ranking 2nd to Texas for the most obligate subterranean species. Tennessee currently has more mapped caves than any other state, at over 10,000. However, recent examinations of spatial patterns of cave biodiversity, species richness, and endemism in Tennessee identify that only 5% of Valley and Ridge caves (of ~500 caves) have fauna records. Almost nothing is known about the microbiology of caves in Tennessee. Moreover, several undersampled areas exist, including in northeast Tennessee extending from the more intensely inventoried southwestern Virginia karst. As such, it is possible that many TAG cave species await discovery and description. There is still much to be learned about the distribution of obligate cave fauna, their evolutionary histories, and ecosystem dynamics (including food web structures and microbial detrital loop).

We explored about 100 caves to address sampling gaps in TAG Valley and Ridge caves. Although this specific project is over, we are still conducting research. Our goals are to (1) conduct biological inventories, which include ecological and life history information for species, and (2) document species occurrences that define geographic extents and examine spatial patterns of biodiversity, endemism, and sampling effort. From these data, we developed an educational outreach module that is promotin​g awareness and conservation of subterranean fauna throughout TAG. So far, we have discovered many new populations for spiders, beetles, mites, and aquatic invertebrates. Much more remains to be discovered!